IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,814,725
Granted Patent B2
US 11,814,725 · App. 16/431,339 · Granted Nov 14, 2023

Method of cleaning, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, substrate processing apparatus, and recording medium

Inventors: Koei Kuribayashi (Toyama, JP); Takeo Hanashima (Toyama, JP); Hiroyuki Miyagishi (Toyama, JP); Hiroto Yamagishi (Toyama, JP)
Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
C23C16/4405H01L21/0217
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,814,725
App. No.
16/431,339
Granted
Nov 14, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided a technique of cleaning an interior of a supply part by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including: (a) supplying a first gas, which is one of a cleaning gas and an additive gas that reacts with the cleaning gas, from the supply part toward an interior of a process container in which a substrate has been processed by supplying a processing gas from the supply part to the substrate; and (b) supplying a second gas, which is the other one of the cleaning gas and the additive gas and is different from the first gas, from the supply part toward the interior of the process container in a state in which a part of the first gas remains in the supply part after supply of the first gas is stopped.

Claims (53)

1. A method of cleaning an interior of a supply part, which includes a nozzle, by performing a cycle multiple times, the cycle including:

(a) supplying a first gas, which is one of a cleaning gas and an additive gas that reacts with the cleaning gas, via the nozzle toward an interior of a process container in which a substrate has been processed by supplying a processing gas from the supply part to the substrate;

(b) supplying a second gas, which is the other one of the cleaning gas and the additive gas and is different from the first gas, via the nozzle toward the interior of the process container in a state in which a part of the first gas remains in the supply part after supply of the first gas is stopped; and

(c) regulating a pressure in the process container to a predetermined processing pressure by supplying N 2 gas into the interior of the process container, and stopping the supply of the N 2 gas,

wherein (c) is performed before (a) and (b) in the cycle, and

wherein the part of the first gas remaining in the supply part after (a) and the second gas supplied into the supply part in (b) react with each other to thereby remove deposits adhering to the interior of the supply part.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein (b) is performed in a state in which the interior of the process container is exhausted.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein (b) is performed while moving the part of the first gas remaining in the supply part into the process container.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in (b), a concentration of the first gas in the supply part is decreased with a lapse of time.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in (b), a volume ratio of the second gas to the first gas in the supply part is increased with a lapse of time.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in (b), a peak point of a reaction between the first gas and the second gas in the supply part is moved.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in (b), a peak point of a generation amount of reaction heat generated by a reaction between the first gas and the second gas in the supply part is moved.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cycle further includes:

(d) removing gas remaining in the supply part after supply of the second gas is stopped,

wherein in (d), gas remaining in the supply part and the process container is removed.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in (a), a pressure in the process container is regulated using the first gas, and the first gas is filled into the process container.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first gas is the cleaning gas, and the second gas is the additive gas.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first gas is the additive gas, and the second gas is the cleaning gas.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in (a), the second gas is supplied from an additional supply part, which includes an additional nozzle and is different from the supply part, toward the interior of the process container, and

wherein in (b), the first gas is supplied from the additional supply part toward the interior of the process container in a state in which a part of the second gas remains in the additional supply part after supply of the second gas is stopped.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the additional supply part is a supply part configured to supply the processing gas when the substrate is processed.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in (a), the first gas is supplied from an additional supply part, which includes an additional nozzle and is different from the supply part, toward the interior of the process container, and

wherein in (b), the second gas is supplied from the additional supply part toward the interior of the process container in a state in which a part of the first gas remains in the additional supply part after supply of the first gas is stopped.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the additional supply part is a supply part configured to supply the processing gas when the substrate is processed.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning gas includes a fluorine gas, a hydrogen fluoride gas, a chlorine fluoride gas, a nitrogen fluoride gas, or a mixed gas thereof, and the additive gas includes a nitrogen monoxide gas, a hydrogen gas, an oxygen gas, a nitrous oxide gas, an isopropyl alcohol gas, a methanol gas, a water vapor, a hydrogen fluoride gas, or a mixed gas thereof.

17. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

processing a substrate in a process container by supplying a processing gas from a supply part, which includes a nozzle, to the substrate; and

cleaning an interior of the supply part after the substrate is processed,

wherein in the act of cleaning the interior of the supply part, the interior of the supply part is cleaned by performing a cycle multiple times, the cycle including:

(a) supplying a first gas, which is one of a cleaning gas and an additive gas that reacts with the cleaning gas, via the nozzle toward an interior of the process container;

(b) supplying a second gas, which is the other one of the cleaning gas and the additive gas and is different from the first gas, via the nozzle toward the interior of the process container in a state in which a part of the first gas remains in the supply part after supply of the first gas is stopped; and

(c) regulating a pressure in the process container to a predetermined processing pressure by supplying N 2 gas into the interior of the process container, and stopping the supply of the N 2 gas,

wherein (c) is performed before (a) and (b) in the cycle, and

wherein the part of the first gas remaining in the supply part after (a) and the second gas supplied into the supply part in (b) react with each other to thereby remove deposits adhering to the interior of the supply part.

18. A substrate-processing apparatus, comprising:

a process container in which a substrate is processed;

a supply part including a nozzle and configured to supply a processing gas into the process container;

a cleaning gas supply system including a cleaning gas supply pipe and configured to supply a cleaning gas into the process container;

an additive gas supply system including an additive gas supply pipe and configured to supply an additive gas that reacts with the cleaning gas into the process container; and

a controller configured to control the cleaning gas supply system and the additive gas supply system such that an interior of the supply part is cleaned by performing a cycle multiple times, the cycle including:

(a) supplying a first gas, which is one of the cleaning gas and the additive gas, via the nozzle toward an interior of the process container in which the substrate has been processed by supplying the processing gas from the supply part to the substrate;

(b) supplying a second gas, which is the other one of the cleaning gas and the additive gas and is different from the first gas, via the nozzle toward the interior of the process container in a state in which a part of the first gas remains in the supply part after supply of the first gas is stopped; and

(c) regulating a pressure in the process container to a predetermined processing pressure by supplying N 2 gas into the interior of the process container, and stopping the supply of the N 2 gas,

wherein (c) is performed before (a) and (b) in the cycle, and

wherein the part of the first gas remaining in the supply part after (a) and the second gas supplied into the supply part in (b) react with each other to thereby remove deposits adhering to the interior of the supply part.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes, by a computer, a substrate-processing apparatus to perform a process of cleaning an interior of a supply part, which includes a nozzle, by performing a cycle multiple times, the cycle including:

(a) supplying a first gas, which is one of a cleaning gas and an additive gas that reacts with the cleaning gas, via the nozzle toward an interior of a process container of the substrate-processing apparatus in which a substrate has been processed by supplying a processing gas from the supply part to the substrate;

(b) supplying a second gas, which is the other one of the cleaning gas and the additive gas and is different from the first gas, via the nozzle toward the interior of the process container in a state in which a part of the first gas remains in the supply part after supply of the first gas is stopped; and

(c) regulating a pressure in the process container to a predetermined processing pressure by supplying N 2 gas into the interior of the process container, and stopping the supply of the N 2 gas,

wherein (c) is performed before (a) and (b) in the cycle, and

wherein the part of the first gas remaining in the supply part after (a) and the second gas supplied into the supply part in (b) react with each other to thereby remove deposits adhering to the interior of the supply part.

20. The method according to claim 8 , wherein (a) is performed before (b) in the cycle, and

wherein (b) is performed before (d) in the cycle.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 6, 2019
From: KURIBAYASHI, KOEI; HANASHIMA, TAKEO; MIYAGISHI, HIROYUKI; YAMAGISHI, HIROTO
To: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 050298/0571 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-107168 · Jun 4, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190368036A1 · Dec 5, 2019